Lawrence Weaver, a lay elder at St Mary’s Church in Horham, filled 50 balloons with poppy seeds provided by the Stradbroke branch of the Royal British Legion to commemorate 100 years since the start of the war.

The balloons were then handed out to the congregation at the service to burst and scatter the seeds across the church yard, which will eventually grow into poppies.

A plaque in the church lists 13 soldiers from the village who fought in the war.

Mr Weaver said the legion had also organised similar events with local primary schools to ensure the next generation learned about the sacrifices made by the soldiers and prevent more wars in the future.

He added: “We want to make sure the children never forget and will always remember them in their own ways. We want to make it part of the children’s psyche and ensure that this is something that will be embedded in their minds forever.”